


A Valentine for Ellie

by orphan_account



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Fluff, I just thought it would be cute
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-03-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 09:01:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6417316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ellie isn't doing so well and takes a day off, Nick confronts her and she expresses, as best she can, her feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Valentine for Ellie

Kate barged into the Valentine's Detective Agency, she had blood all over her over-worn Vault Suit and face, Nick put down the case file he had been pouring over and sighed.  
"Please tell me that that's not your blood."  
Kate shrugged, "mostly not, I guess," she waltzed in and slumped onto the couch in front of his desk, "hey, where's Ellie?"  
"She asked for the day off, don't ask why," Valentine lit a cigarette as he came to sit in front of Kate.  
"That's not like her," Kate said, trying to pull off a muddy boot, "she's usually here 24/7."  
"Eh, everyone needs a break sometimes I suppose."  
Kate smirked, "yeah, except for you, well, it never seems as if you ever even want to take breaks."  
Nick looked up, "I don't."  
A thought came into Kate's mind, "hey... Nick, you don't think you've... done anything to drive her away lately?"  
Nick put out the cigarette in his ash tray and said, "not that I can think of."  
"Really? Nothing at all?"  
Nick shook his head.  
Hmm... Kate's eyes perked up, "we went out about three days ago, raiders at that settlement North, remember?"  
Nick nodded, "yeah, you nearly blew your own leg up."  
"But I didn't, that's the important thing. Anyway, I told Ellie we'd be gone for a few hours, wasn't she worried when you got back? I mean, you were in a pretty roughed up state."  
Nick shrugged, "she seemed a little upset, said something about me getting too old for things like that, I'm pretty sure it's just an act to try and make me feel better."  
Kate looked up, deadpan, "what."  
"Never works, I know what I'm doing..."  
"Did you say that to her? That she's putting on an act?"  
Nick squinted, trying to remember, "eh, something like that. Look, it doesn't matter, she just needed some time off. I'm fine with it."  
"Nick, she genuinely cares for you, you realize that, right?"  
Nick shrugged, "I'm her boss, but she's her own person, she doesn't need to go on worrying about me all the time."  
"I worry about you all the time Nick, I'm my own person!"  
"You weren't worrying about me when you accidentally dropped that fragmentation grenade at our feet."  
"Nick that was an accident, and I'm not trying to be funny here, she expressed deep concern for your well-being, something that's lacking in the commonwealth if you haven't bloody noticed, and you just pushed it away?"  
Nick sighed, "I don't need anyone being concerned about me."  
Kate got up and stuck a finger in Nick's chest, "pal, you don't get to choose who gets concerned with you, you just gotta deal with it, or else one of these days you're just going to wake up a self-loathing toaster with no friends."  
Nick was about to point out that he doesn't sleep so he can't wake up as anything, but decided to leave it.  
Kate sighed and checked the time on her pip-boy, "crap, I promised Danse I'd meet him in Goodneighbor an hour ago."  
Nick smirked, "if you're as close with Danse as you say you are, he'll know that you're not normally punctual."  
Kate scowled, "listen here, bucko, Ellie's probably at the Dugout right now and I know for a fact that you don't have many cases at the moment, so don't try that weak excuse, you're going to go to Ellie and you're going to talk." She got up and headed for the door.  
"Or else?" Nick jokingly asked.  
"Self-loathing toaster," Kate stated as she walked out.

Nick walked into the Dugout Inn and lit a cigarette, he ignored the looks he always got from the usual patrons there, he spotted Ellie in that scarf of hers sitting in the far corner of the room, reading Publick Occurrences.  
Nick walked up to her, "mind if I have a seat?" He asked.  
Ellie looked startled for a moment before nodding and going back to the paper.  
"Listen, Ellie," Nick started, Ellie looked up at him, "is everything okay between us. I mean... have I said anything that's upset you at all? I know everyone needs time off and-"  
"I worry about you, Nick." She interrupted him.  
Nick sighed, "I know Ellie but-"  
"No you don't! You don't know, Nick, you act like you lack the ability to be cared for, to be worried about. Well, I do worry about you, all the time. I know Kate's normally a good shot but what if she wasn't there for you on one of your shenanigans, what if something happened to you? I wouldn't... I couldn't..."  
"Couldn't what?" Nick asked.  
"Live with myself, Nick, you've changed the world for me. To imagine one without you in it would be... it would break my heart, Nick."  
Nick thought maybe he should say something or do something... but he didn't know what.  
"It just hurts me whenever you act like being gone for days isn't a big deal, because it is, for me. I've got no way to find you, or hear from you... I know it's part of your moral code to go out every now and again to help others with Kate or Preston or whoever comes by but I just wish you'd... you'd..."  
Nick tilted his head.  
"Nothing, it's stupid Nick, I'm sorry. I-I'll, I need some air." She looked at Nick, "walk with me?"  
They wandered speechlessly through Diamond city, Nick lit another cigarette and Ellie watched the stars. When they reached the agency again Ellie looked at Nick with an expression that made Nick's head spin, what was she doing?  
Ellie smiled a little, "I don't think you even realize how much I care for you Nick, how much I value you in my life, how grateful I am that I get to work with you almost everyday... how you make me happy just by being. I'm sorry I worry so much about you all the time, I just... well... I-" She stopped herself, "you're my best friend Nick, it doesn't sound like much since I don't have that many but... I love you Nick, always will."  
Ellie yawned, "I'm tired, I'll see you tomorrow Nick."  
Nick waited outside, smoking, he heard Ellie walk up the stairs and the distant click as her lights went off.  
There was a feeling in his chest that he couldn't get rid of, he felt as if he had left something unsaid. He went inside and poured over his case files until morning came. He heard Ellie's feet tapping down the stairs, she smiled sweetly at him as she got to the office, "so boss," she said, "what are we up to today?"  
Nick just smiled and realized that her, just being, made him happy too.


End file.
